Soup

The coming of fall and winter means it’s time to pull out the soup pot (even though it’s still close to 90 degrees in Georgia). This Lasagna Soup is flavorful and hearty, full of ground beef, cheese tortellini, tomatoes and spices. Bonus – it can be made in about 30 minutes. My daughter declared it one of my best recipes yet.

You start by sauteing some onions, then adding spices, tomatoes, and chicken broth. Your kitchen will start to smell amazing while it is simmering.

Using high quality tortellini is important. I used Buitoni brand from the refrigerated section of the supermarket, not dried tortellini.

Of course, what would lasagna be without cheese. Once ladled into the bowl, I topped this soup with a slice of mozzarella, which melts right into the soup. Yum!

Lasagna Soup

A hearty soup full of ground beef, cheese tortellini, and tomatoes, topped with mozzarella cheese

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

3 cups cheese tortellini (fresh refrigerated, not dried)

1 Tb butter

1 cup onion, chopped

1 ts basil, dried

1 ts parsley, dried

1/2 ts garlic, minced

1/2 ts Italian seasoning

4 cups chicken broth

1 14.5 oz. can stewed tomatoes

1 14.5 oz can whole tomatoes

1 cup tomato sauce

2 ts sugar

1 ts salt

1/4 ts pepper

mozzarella cheese, sliced

Directions

Crumble ground beef in a skillet and cook over medium-high heat until browned.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the basil, parsley, garlic and Italian seasoning. Pour in the chicken broth and stir. Crush the whole tomatoes (using your hands works best) and add to the soup. If the stewed tomatoes are large, chop them into smaller pieces and add them to the soup. Stir in the tomato sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.

Add the cheese tortellini. Boil for 3 minutes or until the pasta is soft. Drain the grease from the ground beef and stir the meat into the soup.

Reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a slice of mozzarella cheese.